The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
Township limiting public access during Coronavirus concerns
UPPER GWYNEDD » As new cases of suspected COVID-19 coronavirus have been reported across the county, Upper Gwynedd’s officials have decided to take precautions.
“Our first responders are going to respond, no matter what. They always do, they always will, they’ll always be there for the public, and keep the public safe. But we also want to keep our employees and our first responders as safe as possible, so they can be there to respond to the public,” said Township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell.
“My employees have to deal with the public. That’s our job, as public servants. But there are ways we can sort of reduce that exposure, and I think we should do that,” she said.
Earlier Monday afternoon, Montgomery County officials said five confirmed cases of Coronavirus had been identified within the county, and shortly afterward state officials updated that number to seven. By Tuesday morning, the state health department was reporting eight cases.
With those numbers rapidly changing, Zadell began Monday night’s commissioners meeting with an update of how township officials are handling this week’s coronavirus fears. Township emergency management staff took part in a conference call with county emergency management officials earlier Monday, Zadell told the board, and have posted precautions on the township’s social media channels for residents to follow.
“We’ll be participating in those calls, every time they invite us,” she said.
County officials have urged local municipalities to look for ways to minimize person-to-person exposure, and Zadell said avoiding larger crowds and reducing public interactions have been suggested by the county.
“Although the cases in Montgomery County that have come out were from people traveling, we want to try to prevent it from spreading from person to person,” she said.
“One way to do that is to reduce crowds and reduce meetings that are not essential. So something for us to think about, as a board, is to not wait for things to get worse, and limit events now,” she said.
One suggestion staff asked the board to consider would be to limit the use of the public township administration building, located at 1 Parkside Place, by outside groups to avoid any potential contact with township employees. Groups including local homeowners’ associations and sports teams are able to use the building’s meeting room, free of charge, but Zadell suggested restricting that use for two weeks on a trial basis.
County officials already called off a planned ManuFest scheduled for March 10 in light of the coronavirus fears, and commissioners’ Vice President Denise Hull said she thought the two-week trial to follow the county’s lead would be a good idea.
The township’s parks